


Starting Over

by chwyrligwgan



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Could be triggering, Depression, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Homophobic Language, M/M, Self Harm, Smut, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-16
Updated: 2014-08-11
Packaged: 2018-02-09 03:09:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 15,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1966743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chwyrligwgan/pseuds/chwyrligwgan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke Hemmings is the new kid at school. Shy, self conscious and nervous, he (literally) bumps into Ashton Irwin, the most popular kid at school. It's time for starting over.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Who was he?

**Author's Note:**

> First things first: Some of the facts in this story aren't strictly true, but go with the flow. I ship Lashton as a bromance in real life but I like to spice things up in fanfics ;) Also, feel free to comment your thoughts on the chapter and where you think the story will go!

Luke

Oh god...what if they hate me? I think, staring at my reflection in the mirror. It's my first day at my new school, my fourth in two months. We keep moving, at first it was for mom's job then it was because of the bullying. I notice that I'm trembling, and I'm sweating through my clothes. I pull down my jacket, covering the months of pain scarred onto them. I didn't want anyone to find out about those on my first day. 

Our new house is on the outskirts of town, probably a 20 minute drive. It takes 30 minutes on the school bus, 30 minutes too long. As I get onto the bus, I notice everyone's eyes following me. That's strange, normally people just ignore me and deny my existence. I sit at the front of the bus and listen to my music, not wanting to draw attention to myself.

It's not that I'm shy, I love talking to people, it's just that my experiences with fellow classmates haven't exactly been the best. I think back to my last three schools, there was Cameron, who hated my clothes, Derek, who called me "the emo kid" and lastly James, who thought I was gay and knew my secrets. Between the three of them, they had made me lose faith in human kindness, and I slowly became a shadow of my former self.

All Time Low blasts from my headphones, "Maybe it's not my weekend, but it's gonna be my year" I certainly hope so anyway.

Half an hour later, I reach the school. Claustrophobia sets in as hundreds of pupils run around me, excitedly greeting their friends.

"Gina, how was Europe?"

"Did you go to Taylor's party? It was sick, bro"

"And then I told him to stop wasting my time"

This sucks. I think to myself. I'd joined the school midway through the second term. This meant that everybody knew each other already, and had made fast friends with their classmates. Not that I would be making friends anyway.

I walked into the school, asking someone for directions to the main office on the way. She pointed in a general direction, and turned back to gossip with her friends. I'd have to find my own way there then.

I walked into the unknown building, taking a corridor to my right. As I turned, I collided heavily with another body.

"Dude, watch where you're going" he snapped angrily.

I looked over at him from the floor. He had curly brown locks, with bright hazel eyes shining beneath a curl that had fallen loose. He seemed to be looking for something, his hands settling on a pair of thick black glasses and putting them on.

He smirked at me. "Aren't you gonna move then?"

I attempted to stand, tripping over my long legs a few times. He laughed, a melodic sound that left me craving more.

"Umm, a little help please?" I squeaked. He extended his hand, and hoisted me to my feet. Blushing, I quickly thanked him and went in the opposite direction. Damn me and my damn awkwardness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ashton

Who was he?


	2. Find Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing a new character: Violet! If you wouldn't mind, tell me what you think of her so far down below?

Luke

I ran blindly down the corridors, with no idea where I was going. I felt a hand grab onto my wrist and flinched. Five minutes in and I was already getting beaten up. I braced myself for the inevitable blow that would follow.

"Are you okay?" I heard a voice ask, full of concern.

I opened my eyes and saw a tall boy with bright green hair staring back at me. His eyes were wide, and were eyeing me suspiciously. He didn't look like he was about to beat me up. His eyes softened as I nodded.

"My name's Michael, but you can call me Mikey" he smiled. I instantly found myself liking him. Hey, maybe I could make friends after all.

"Luke" I replied, extending a hand. Much to my surprise, he dismissed my hand and pulled me into a hug. His arms around my body felt alien and I flinched again at his touch. Michael didn't seem to notice, and said loudly "Let's show you around then, shall we?"

I spent the whole day tailing Michael, luckily our schedules were pretty similar so I wasn't alone much. Lunchtime came and I plonked myself down next to Michael. He was sat with a girl with long purple hair. "Luke, this is Violet" he introduced us. We spent the first half hour of lunch chatting and getting to know each other. Michael was an only child, had lived in Sydney his whole life, and loved, and I mean loved, to eat. Violet was one of three children, she had been kicked out of her house after getting a tattoo and piercing her lip. She now lived with Michael, and they were inseparable.

"Hey Luke, don't look but why's Ashton Irwin staring at you?" Violet whispered into my ear. Of course, I quickly turned my head to where she was directing her gaze, and felt two hazel eyes looking deep into my own. I blushed under his intense stare, and held eye contact for a few seconds. Violet slapped my arm, saying "I said not to look!" I laughed, tearing my eyes from his and continued my conversation with Michael.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ashton

"Hey, who's that kid over there?" I questioned Calum quietly. Calum knew everything about everyone, he could get the dirt on a person within seconds of meeting them. He was renowned around the school for being a gossiper, but everyone loved him.

"Ash, that's Michael Clifford, surely you remember, we used to be frien..." I cut across him sharply

"Not Michael, you idiot, the boy sat opposite him." Calum followed my gaze, and shrugged.

"I don't know, he must be new" he said. Suddenly, the girl with the purple hair, Viola I think whispered something in the blonde's ear. I felt my insides squirm with some sort of feeling. I'd never felt like this before, but seeing the pretty girl flirting with him, it angered me. Who was this boy and what was he doing to me? The blonde's head turned, and he caught my eye contact. Suddenly, a wave of emotions came over me, I felt both nervous and confident, hot and cold, and I shivered at his gaze. I smiled at his blush, his cheeks turning rosy but to my dismay, the girl with the purple hair caught his attention again. I felt my blood boil, who was she to deny me my moment with the new kid?

I turned back to Calum, "Find out"


	3. I know

Luke

"Shit, shit, I'm late!" I thought as I ran down the seemingly unending corridors to get to music. I had gotten lost again, it was only my first day and I had been late to every single class so far. I miraculously found the classroom, and flung the door open. I tripped over my feet again, and landed flat on the floor. Everyone laughed and I felt my face flush red. The teacher looked at me sympathetically. "You're late, but seeing as you're new, I'll let you off. Name?" he said.

"Hemmings, Luke Hemmings" I replied, feeling my cheeks redden even more, if that was even possible, as I noticed everyone was still staring.

"Right, Luke, I'm Mr Phillips. We're working in groups, is there anyone you'd want to work with in this class?" I looked around, seeing no familiar faces. No, there was one, the boy with the hazel eyes. He was smirking at me again, no doubt making fun of me in his head. I could imagine his voice "What a loser, falling over everything. Uch, look at his clothes, he looks trashy. Why is he so ugly?" The voices in my head taunted me. I felt the familiar sting of tears forming in my eyes, and shook my head. Mr Phillips' face was full of concern.

"I'll assign you alphabetically then" he smiled. "The people above and below you in the register are...Ashton Irwin and Calum Hood" he said, pointing to the table. There sat the boy with the hazel eyes, and the friend who had sat with him at lunch. I inwardly groaned, and moved to the table.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ashton

"Play it cool Ash" I thought, watching the blonde make his way over to where I sat. Up close, he looked even better. His blonde quiff was perfectly styled, reaching heights that could defy gravity. His nose was small, and extremely cute. His lips were perfectly formed, and looked kissable. Wait, did I just call a guy cute and kissable? What was happening to me? I stared at him as he sat nervously by me. I felt Calum nudging my shoulder, encouraging me to talk to him. I just sat there looking like a blubbering idiot, opening and closing my mouth, unable to form words.

Calum let out a little chuckle, and turned to Luke "Hi, I'm Calum and this is Ashton"

Luke smiled, showing his glistening white teeth. I noticed for the first time a lip piercing and subconsciously imagined the feel of it against my lips as I kissed him. Luke noticed my staring, and his face fell. He moved his hand to cover his face, and frowned. I blushed, embarrassed at having been caught staring at this blonde god in front of me.

"So we're working on a project, we have to perform a song of our choice. Calum plays bass, I drum, do you do anything?" I asked eagerly. What was happening to me, I never acted like this around people! There was something different about this boy, and I had to find out what. He made me want to be better. I knew I was the school's stereotypical popular jackarse but Luke made me want to change all that. I could feel Calum's face scrunching in confusion at my friendliness.

Luke visibly relaxed, and shrugged. "I sing a bit I guess. I'm not much good though"

I beamed at him, "Perfect, we have a band!"

All that was left to do was pick a song. Calum wanted to sing 'Forever' by Chris Brown. I refused, stating that I didn't know the lyrics and I wasn't too keen on hip hop. I was suggesting a few songs when Luke interrupted.

"Why don't we do I Miss You? You know, Blink 182's song?" He asked tentatively. Calum and I looked at eachother, stunned that he had spoken, and nodded.

"Yeah, sweet" Calum said eagerly.

Calum worked out the chord progression whilst I practiced the rhythm on my cajon. Luke simply watched us.

"Aren't you gonna go learn the lyrics?" I asked.

"Already know 'em" he retorted, a smile forming.

I bit my lip, and blushed. Why did he have this effect on me?

Ten minutes later, we were ready. Luke sat to my right, with Calum next to him. Luke turned to Calum and nodded. Calum started, plucking the strings tentatively. I beat out the rhythm on my cajon. Then Luke joined,

"Hello there, the angel from my nightmare  
The shadow in the background of the morgue  
The unsuspecting victim of darkness in the valley  
We can live like Jack and Sally if we want   
Where you can always find me  
We'll have Halloween on Christmas  
And in the night we'll wish this never ends  
We'll wish this never ends..."

Luke's voice trailed off and I realized that Calum and I had stopped playing, we were simply staring at him. He turned almost purple, and muttered "I know, it was awful, I'm so sorry" He covered his face with his hands again. I reached out to him, detatching his hands from his face. I held both of them in mine, and said comfortingly "That was amazing. Seriously, you have the best voice." He lifted his head, and grinned.

We continued to practice, and I don't think I got over his voice for the whole lesson. Class ended and I walked out with Luke and Calum, enjoying their company. I wasn't concentrating and walked straight into Michael on the way out. I looked at him angrily, "Watch out, faggot!" I snarled. Michael ran away, tears flowing down his cheeks. Luke turned to me, his face blank and expressionless.

"Why are you friends with that arse?" I asked him, wrapping my arm around his shoulder. I felt him flinch, and escape from my grip.

"The only arse around here is you" He said quietly. With that, he ran after Michael.

Calum looked on, his face cold "You've done it this time, Ash!"

"I know, I know"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so sorry for what happens at the end of this chapter! I just kinda went with what I felt, I know Ashton isn't actually like this in real life! I hated writing it if it's any comfort?!? Comment what you think down below!!!


	4. Sorry isn't enough

Michael

I ran to the second corridor bathroom, going as fast as I could before anyone else could see me. I knew it was stupid that I got so worked up over bullies. I dealt with it every day, people here weren't very accepting of gays. What made the situation worse is that my friends, the people who I thought I could trust with my biggest secret, they had joined in. Hell, Ashton was the main perpetrator. It was always his words that stung the most. I looked in the mirror and tried to compose myself. When I heard the door creak open, I jumped into a stall, hoping that the person wouldn't notice I was here.

"Michael?" I heard a quiet voice echo around the room. Shit, I knew that voice, I started to panic. Who was it, and what did they want?

"Michael, I know you're in here. It's Luke, I just want to know if you're okay?" He said. I felt myself relax, and opened the door. Suddenly, I felt two skinny arms wrap themselves around my body. It was different to the hug I had given him earlier, he clung to me this time, as if he never wanted to let go. I detached myself from his embrace and smiled signalling that everything was okay. It didn't fool him though.

"What happened to you?" He asked tentatively, his blue eyes filling with concern. And with that, I broke down again. I explained to him through sobs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FLASHBACK

"Just tell them for fucks sake, they're your best friends" I thought to myself. I realised my hands were sweating, and I rubbed them against my jeans. I looked over at my best friends Calum and Ashton and sighed. Would they understand? I'd never heard them speak about it before so I didn't know their views on it. Screw it, I was gonna tell them.

"Uh...guys" I attempted, before Calum jumped over the sofa, and landed heavily on my legs. I groaned, and laughed at his pouty face.

"What is it?" He asked, scrunching his nose.

"Well, see, the thing is...I don't know how to say this" I looked at their faces, Calum looked nervous, worried about what I would say next. Ashton looked indifferent, like he couldn't care less. He didn't care much for other people so his attitude never phased me before. Tonight was different. His demeanor made me nervous.

"Um, well I'm kind of, well not kind of, I am..." I mumbled

"Just spit it out" Ashton shouted at me.

I looked at the floor, sighed, and said clearly so I wouldn't have to repeat it, ever "I'm gay"

I saw Calum look at me with pity in his eyes "Oh Michael, it's oka..."

"YOU'RE WHAT? CALUM, GET OFF HIM, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HE'S THINKING ABOUT YOU RIGHT NOW! HOW COULD WE BE FRIENDS WITH SOMEONE LIKE YOU?" Ashton screamed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

END FLASHBACK

"He told everyone, everyone! I thought I could trust him, but clearly I couldn't. Since then, he's made my life a living hell." I cried into Luke's shoulders. He gave me a reassuring squeeze, and pulled away.

"God, you probably hate me too! Why would I tell you? Why would you want to be friends with me? Ashton's right, I'm a worthless faggot!" Luke's face scrunched in pain, and he lifted my head so that he was looking into my eyes.

"Michael, you are far from being worthless. You were the only person who bothered with me this morning, hell, you're the only person who's bothered with me all day. I've known you for what, six hours and we're already friends. You are a wonderful person Michael Clifford." I blushed and tried not to grin at his words. "Besides, I'm gay too" He added, making me smile even more.

The bell rung, signalling the end of the day.

"We'd better get out of here, hey?" Luke said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder comfortingly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke

I walked out of the bathroom with Michael, keeping my arm around him. It seemed to calm him down, and he needed a friend right now. I felt a heavy weight on my arm, and saw Violet hugging Michael tightly.

"I heard what happened, are you okay?" She asked Michael frantically. She turned to me, and mouthed a thank you before grabbing Michael's hand. I watched them walk towards her car, waving at them as they left. I sighed, knowing that I would have to go home soon.

"L-Luke?" I heard a voice from behind me. I whipped around, and saw Ashton stood there, twiddling with his sleeves. I smiled, before remembering what happened earlier, and remembering Michael's words "he's made my life a living hell" I felt my face harden, and saw him flinch at my expression.

"Listen, I'm so sorry for what happened earlier, how can I make it up to you?" He asked.

I laughed in shock, a short breathy laugh that made me sound extremely sarcastic "Make it up to me? Why? You haven't ensured that every single day of my life is worse than the one before. You haven't convinced me that I'm worthless. You haven't turned everyone in my life against me. What are you apologising to me for? It's Michael you should be talking to, not me!"

"I'm so sorry" He said quietly

"Yeah, well sometimes sorry isn't enough Ashton" I sighed back at him, before turning and walking home.


	5. You're perfect

Ashton

The next day, I was walking into school when I saw a familiar blonde quiff in front of me. I grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side.

"Luke, listen..." I begun. He looked away in disgust, and saw Michael standing alone by his locker.

"Hey Michael" He shouted. The green haired boy looked up, relieved to have some company, and frowned, pointing towards me. I heard him sigh from where I was stood, and saw him shake his head. He walked to his first class without even glancing in my direction. I hit my head against my locker, cursing myself for being such an idiot. The only person I'd made an effort with in this whole damn school now hated me. What was wrong with me?

I walked towards science, seriously contemplating skipping school for the day. The exit was right in front of me, with my classroom to my left. Through the window, I saw a flash of blonde and bright blue. Luke. He was in my science class! How could I skip now? Entering the classroom, I heard the teacher say we'd be working in pairs for experiments today. I quickly took my seat in the back row, noticing that Luke was sat in front of me. I saw him tense at my presence.

"Everyone in the first, third and fifth row, turn to the person sat behind you, they will be your partners" Mrs Jameson said. Inevitably, I was paired with Luke.

Luke glared at me, saying "You'd better help me, I refuse to get a bad grade because of your lazy ass" I was stunned at the coldness in his eyes, but I nodded, knowing this would be a long lesson.

Ten minutes into the lesson, and the tension was killing me. "Luke I'm so sorry for what I said to Michael, I fully intend on apologising to him. Just talk to me!" I exclaimed quickly.

Luke ignored me for a minute, then sighed, saying "Why'd you do it?"

"Pardon?"

"Why did you tell everyone about Michael?"

"I was young, foolish, scared. I didn't know what to do."

He laughed that sarcastic laugh again, "That's not a fucking excuse"

"LANGUAGE!" Mrs Jameson shouted from the front "Hemmings, I'll see you after school for detention."

"This is such bullshit" Luke muttered under his breath.

"What did you say?" Mrs Jameson squealed.

"I said this is bullshit!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke

"What did you say?" The teacher, I didn't even know her name, asked me harshly. Shit, she had good hearing!

"I said this is bullshit" Ashton cut across me. What was he doing? He'd surely get in trouble for this. Why was he sticking up for me?

"Ashton Irwin, I've had enough of your attitude. You can join Mr Hemmings here in detention."

I turned to Ashton, a small smile playing on his face. I smirked back, mouthing a small 'thank you'. We continued our project in silence, the tension relieved for now.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful and passed pretty quickly. I realised that for the first time, school didn't suck. For the first time in a long time, I was kind of happy.

School ended and I headed towards detention. I walked into the empty room, and took a seat at the back. I sat in silence for a while, then saw a familiar mop of brown hair and dimples enter the classroom. Of course, he had to sit as close as he could to me, ignoring the dozens of empty chairs around me.

Ashton turned to me and said "It's because I'm fucked up" I noticed his expression changing, he was deadly serious. I'd never seen him like this, he always had a grin or a smirk on his face, but this was different. He was honest.

"Pardon?"

He sighed "I bullied Michael because I'm fucked up" I attempted to cut him off, trying to reassure him that he was far from 'fucked up'. He raised a finger at me, silencing me instantly. "There's no point denying it. It's the truth. You see, when I was eight my dad left us. No reason, he just walked out of the door and left. He never came back. It tore my mother apart, she became reclusive, she wouldn't talk, she wouldn't eat. It fell on me to take care of my brother and sister, and I was doing a shit job at it. Bear in mind I was an eight year old trying to take care of two younger siblings. Things started to go wrong and my mother would always blame me. Then, three years ago, I found out that my dad had left us for another man. My dad was fucking gay. He'd raised a family, then eight years later, decided he played for the other team. So when Michael told me that he was gay, I wanted for him to feel how I had felt. I was scared, mainly because, because...I think I'm gay too. And I don't want to be my father, I don't want to be anything like that piece of shit. So I stupidly take it all out on Michael. That's what makes me fucked up."

Finishing his confession, he choked up and laid his head on the desk, sobbing violently. My heart broke at the sight, and I realised, Ashton was broken. All this time I thought he was an arrogant arse, and it was a facade. I grabbed his face, not being able to bear the sight any more. Yes, he had been unneccesarily mean, and he had ruined Michael's life, but he was hurting just as much of the rest of us.

"You're far from fucked up Ashton" I told him, holding eye contact. I wanted him to understand these words, "You're...you're perfect"


	6. What have you done?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Could possibly be triggering. I don't know, this one was kind of depressing to write. Please please please comment below? I want to hear what people think of it so far!

Luke

I walked home, thinking of everything that had happened today. Ashton was at the forefront of my mind, but he hadn't really left it since the second I had met him. He was...wait, Ashton had said he was gay. Ashton Irwin was gay? The biggest homophobe in the whole school was gay? I shook my head in confusion, this was all too much for me. I had my own burdens, I didn't have to be thinking about other people's problems as well. Talking of problems, my mom was gonna be so pissed. I was an hour and a half late coming home from school, and she would be expecting her dinner.

Walking up to the front door, I braced myself for the inevitable. She was lying down on the couch, with bottles of beer surrounding her. I quietly closed the door, trying to sneak past her. Of course, I tripped over a bottle, coming crashing down to the floor loudly. She woke up, and I knew what would happen next.

"You worthless piece of shit, where were you? You left me, your own mother here, to starve! Why do I give you any responsibilities, you can't handle anything on your own." She slurred at me, coming closer.

"Sorry mom" I said, trying to calm her down. "I'll make you dinner now, just, just don't drink anymore please?"

She stumbled backwards, screaming "You're telling ME what to do?" Before I could react, she grabbed a bottle and threw it in my direction. It shattered on the wall by my head, throwing broken shards everywhere. One became lodged above my eyebrow, and I felt hot, thick blood run down my face. I looked at her in shock, unable to move or react for a few seconds.

"Oh Lukey, I'm so sor..." I didn't even give her the satisfaction of finishing that sentence, instead I ran to my room. I grabbed my suitcase from under my bed. It was already half packed, I knew something like this would happen some day. I blindly threw my school supplies and random clothes into it, tears flowing freely down my face. My eyebrow stung, but it wasn't anything compared to the pain I had inflicted on myself before. I went to the bathroom, composed myself, and yanked the glass from my head. The blood came spurting out even quicker then, blinding my vision. I grabbed a razor from the cupboard, and threw it into my bag.

When I left my room, she was there, crying her eyes out. I could smell the alcohol on her and I gagged.

"Luke..." she tried again.

I grabbed her car keys, saying "I'm taking the car. If you even try to contact me I won't hesitate to report you. I never want to see your face again" With that, I slammed the door behind me.

Where was I going to go?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ashton

I had decided to go to the park to clear my head. Had I really told Luke all of those things about me? I hadn't told anyone before. Sure, Calum knew that my dad had left, but I had never told him why. Something about Luke made me trust him, and I knew he would understand. I told him I was gay. No, I told him I thought I was gay. That's different, right? Sitting down, I thought about it. I'd never been attracted to boys before, but I'd never felt so strongly over a girl as I did for Luke. Was I bi-sexual? Or was I Luke-sexual. I chuckled quietly to myself, that would make sense I guess. I was falling for Luke Hemmings.

I heard a loud wail coming from the pond. Sat there, on a bench was none other than Luke himself. He was crying, his face painted red. As I approached him, I noticed a deep gash above his eyebrow. Something else caught my eyes, and I saw deep cuts covering his right arm. I thought back to something I had seen on tumblr before, a quote from a poem, I think it went "The paintbrush is a razor and the canvas is her wrist"

I sighed at the sight before me, "Oh Luke, what have you done?"


	7. Okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS GOT TO 500 HITS...WHAAT?!?! Sorry, I just didn't think anyone would want to read my stuff!! Thank you guys for reading this, it really means a lot! So, I'm kind of in love with this next chapter, I don't even know why! In case you hadn't noticed, every chapter's name is the last line of dialogue in that chapter, I thought it was a pretty cute idea because I'm awful at naming stuff!

Ashton

I walked over to Luke, suddenly feeling a rush of nerves. We hadn't actually talked after my outburst, and I didn't know how he felt about me. I remembered his last words to me "You're perfect" I remembered the way his cheeks blushed and his eyes held my gaze, begging me to believe him. For a moment, I did. I sat by him, unsure of what to do. Silently, I pulled a tissue out of my pocket, dabbing his wounds, being careful not to aggravate them further. I felt the weight of his head on my shoulder as he leant into me, tears and blood staining my sweatshirt within seconds.

"It's okay, it's okay" I soothed. I found myself crying too, unable to keep a hold on my emotions anymore. Finally, Luke seemed to quieten, and the sobbing stopped. He looked up at me, blood covering my shoulder, dry tear tracks on my face. He laughed. I scrunched my face in confusion, now was definitely not the time for laughing.

"We're a mess" Luke said in between chuckles. I couldn't help myself, I began to laugh too. Well, I say laugh, it was more of a girly giggle.

"What happened?" I asked, and the mood went somber. I regretted the words instantly, cursing myself for being so stupid. I should have been happy that Luke had forgotten whatever happened to him. His face scrunched in pain as he clutched his head.

"Oh god, I think I need an aspirin" he wailed.

"What you need is a doctor" I corrected him.

He blushed, and then panicked. "Oh god no, I can't go to a doctor! They'll find out, they'll take her away. She didn't mean to do this! She was just drunk, I swear. It was probably my fault. I deserved it really" Trying to calm him, I pulled him into an embrace, rocking him backwards and forwards until his breathing slowed down.

"Luke, I need you to answer this truthfully" I said, demanding eye contact. His bright blue eyes glistened with fresh tears as he nodded seriously. Good, he understood. "Did your mother do this to you?" I asked. He nodded once, and blacked out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke

I woke up to a dull throbbing in my head. I reached up to touch it, shocked when my hand came back clean. There were bandages around my wrists, and my eyebrow felt strange. I coughed, and jumped as a figure appeared from the floor.

"Ashton?" I asked, unsure of what was going on. The room was spinning and my head hurt so freaking much.

"Yeah Luke it's me." He said, running his hand through my hair. I sighed, that felt good. "You're at the hospital Luke, you passed out in the park. The doctors said you lost a lot of blood. There's eight stitches in your forehead and you might be weak for a few days."

I nodded, not really understanding what was going on. Suddenly, I heard a faint voice in my head "Did your mother do this to you?" My eyes widened in panic, Ashton knew. He didn't, he wouldn't tell would he? No, he wouldn't. But that's what Michael thought! Oh god, he told didn't he?

"Don't worry, they don't know who did this to you. I said you fell in the park and landed on a broken bottle." Before I could stop myself, I hugged him in relief. I felt his hot breath on my ear, and butterflies erupted in my stomach. I could feel him shaking, and pulling away, realised he was crying hysterically.

"Don't...ever...fucking...do...that...to...me...again" he said between sobs. Stunned, I pulled him onto the bed next to me, holding him in my arms.

"I'm not going anywhere" I said. At that, he sobered up.

"No, you're not" he said. "You're not going back there, you're staying with me."

"Okay" I muttered, feeling myself drifting off to sleep.

"Okay" he said into the crook of my neck, sending tingles all down my body.

With that, I fell into my dreamworld, feeling Ashton's grasp on my body the whole time. It was my first sleep without nightmares in years.


	8. What was that?

Ashton

"Mum" I called. "Muuuuum" I said louder when she didn't reply. "Goddammit, where is that woman? Come on in" I turned to Luke, who was awkwardly stood outside the door playing with the bandages around his wrists. It was a habit I had picked up on, when he was nervous, he would fidget a lot. He nervously took a step forward, entering my home. I watched him scan the room, taking everything in. "I know it's not much..." I said, blushing slightly. My family wasn't the richest and we lived in a small semidetached house on the outskirts of the suburbs. I was ashamed to bring people here, especially my football friends as they were all from families with money. 

Luke's eyes widened, "No, it's beautiful" He said with complete sincerity. I blushed even further, letting out a small embarrassed chuckle.

"Ashton, would you shut the fu...and who is this young man?" My mother came crashing down the stairs. She eyed Luke up and down, taking in every detail about him. She noticed the stitches above his eyebrow and sighed. "It's Luke, isn't it?" He nodded. I knew what was coming next, she couldn't miss the opportunity. "Ashton here doesn't stop talking about you. He's got the biggest crush on you!"

I groaned, shouting "We're going to my room!"

I shut the door, sheepishly looking over at Luke. To my amusement, he started to laugh until tears fell down his cheeks. I couldn't help myself, I began to laugh with him. It was nice seeing him so happy again. We lay on my bed for hours, playing video games and getting to know each other. With each word he said, I knew I was falling deeper for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke

"Mum, can Luke stay with us for a few days? He's been having some family troubles, pleeeease can he stay?" Ashton asked his mother, his arms wrapped tightly around her neck.

"Get off me you lump!" She laughed, shaking her head playfully at him. "Of course you can stay sweetie, stay for as long as you want" she turned to me.

I had been at the Irwin's house for four hours, and I felt more comfortable here than I ever did in my own home. The dynamic was so different here, Harry, Ashton's younger brother, had burst into Ashton's room earlier, demanding that Ashton gave back his Nintendo DS. Then came Lauren, crying that Harry had hit her over the head with his Power Ranger. Things were busy here, with everybody rushing around, getting in eachother's way, tripping over things as they went. Everything here was done with a smile though. I tried to remember the last time I saw my mother smile, coming up blank.

"Luke...LUKE" Ashton was snapping his fingers in front of my face "Thought I'd lost yah there, buddy" he said. "I'm in charge of food tonight and I can't cook for shit, can you help me?" 

"LANGUAGE" His mother shouted from the living room, earning a giggle from Harry.

"Ashton, jar!" Lauren squealed excitedly, running into the kitchen. She turned to me "Every time Ashton or mummy swears, they have to put money in the jar. Look how much is in there now!" She giggled, pointing at the full to the brim jar. I laughed, and she chimed in.

"Yeah, yeah, are you helping me or not?" Ashton said, clearly annoyed. This only made Lauren and I laugh even more. Ashton walked off in a huff. I winked at Lauren, and followed after him.

Ashton saying he couldn't cook was an understatement, he was useless! He tried making pasta, but forgot to boil the water first. He tried putting sauce on the hob, but left it too long, causing the once red liquid to turn into black mush. He swore in exasperation a few times, placing money in the jar each time.

I was making chilli and rice when I asked "Where does the money from the jar go?"

Ashton smiled faintly, replying quietly "A treat for Lauren and Harry, we don't know what yet, but I can't wait for them to find out." His eyes shone, thinking of the joy his siblings would feel at the present. I choked back tears, wishing I had a love like that in my life.

"Umm, food's ready" I said, hoping to forget about my troubles. Ashton jumped off his chair, reaching for a bowl. as he did so, his hand skimmed my waist. We both froze. I'm not sure if he felt it, but it felt like every nerve in my body was on fire. It felt like electricity. He blushed, scurrying out of the room muttering something under his breath.

I rested my hand where his had been moments before, "What was that?" I asked myself quietly.


	9. We're going to a party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAJOR FLUFF HERE!!! I was cringing and blushing writing this!!! Feel free to comment down below!

Ashton

I turned in my bed for what felt like the hundredth time that night. I physically could not get to sleep. Every single time I closed my eyes, I saw him. Him, with his perfect hair, luscious eyes, cute nose, his glistening smile playing on those kissable lips. Him, all of him. It was painful. Pleasurably painful in fact. Every time I closed my eyes, I would see him, but be unable to feel him. It plagued me. I wanted to be able to run my fingers through his hair, see the light shine in his eyes, see his nose scrunch up, see his smile light up my world as he kissed me with his perfect lips. I wasn't even allowed this in dreamworld, and it was killing me. What had this boy done to me? He haunted me every waking hour of every day, and I both loved it and despised it.

I thought back to my hand pressed lightly on his waist. I hadn't meant to put it there, it just happened. The feeling I had as I did it was incomparable, it felt like, like an electric charge running through my veins. It felt like both darkness and light, grief and joy. Did he feel the same way? I groaned, knowing that I wasn't going to sleep tonight.

After another half hour of tossing and turning, I decided to get a drink from the kitchen. I walked down the stairs, avoiding the creaking step and crept quietly into the kitchen. From there, I could see Luke lying on the couch. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, the frown that was almost permanently etched on his face was smoothed into a look of peace. Suddenly, the frown returned as all his limbs flailed wildly. The sight was terrifying, he looked like he was having a fit. I was frozen in my spot, too shocked to move. As a loud wail escaped his lips, I sprinted to his side.

Shaking him, I was whispering "Wake up Luke" then a little louder "Luke, wake up!" as another stomach churning sound came from him, I screamed at him, shaking his shoulders violently "Please Luke, you have to wake up" His eyes snapped open, full of tears and fear. He blinked once, and they all came cascading down his face. I hugged him, muttering soothing words. I held him until he fell back asleep, then crawled next to him on the couch, pulling him into me. His hair was tickling my face and his hips were digging into my sides but I couldn't care less. So long as he was at peace, I was happy. I fell asleep listening to his calming breaths, never letting go of him throughout the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke

I woke up to something warm on my shoulder. Shifting slightly, I realised that it was Ashton's head. Unsure of exactly what to do, I just lay there for a while, taking it all in. Ashton Irwin was spooning me? In any other circumstances, I would have laughed. What was going on? What was I to him? I felt him stir, and winced as he tensed. He was clearly awake, and was wigging out. I could feel his hot breath on my neck, his breathing quickening. I yawned, and turned to face him.

"Morning" I mumbled

"Uhhh, morning" There was a pause before Ashton quickly said "You were having a nightmare so I stayed with you till you slept then I couldn't be bothered to go back upstairs. Sorry if I freaked you out, it's just I didn't want to leave you on your own."

I gave him a quick glance, he was visibly freaking out. I tried something new "It's not a bad way to wake up..."

He blushed, a deep red colour. As he was about to reply, his phone rang "Saved by the Bell" he joked, rolling his eyes. He answered his phone, saying a few words every now and again. "Mhmm, yeah, sounds cool. Uhhh, yeah. What time? Yeah, is it cool if I bring a friend?" 

He hung up and turned to me, saying "We're going to a party"


	10. This can't be good

Michael

"Luke you can't go!" I shouted at him through the walls. I was showering when Luke came crashing into my bedroom, talking loudly about Ashton inviting him to some party.

"Why the fuck not?" He shouted back. I knew he wouldn't understand. He doesn't know that this is what Ashton Irwin is renowned for. He befriends people, makes them feel special, loved even, and then tosses them aside once they get too close. He did it with girls, he did it with boys. Nobody was safe from Ashton Fletcher Irwin. I stepped out of the bathroom, walking in on Violet and Luke chattering excitedly.

"Oh my god! You woke up and he was...spooning you?" She laughed. "That is priceless!"

I rolled my eyes, Luke was in way too deep and I had to get him out. I coughed, demanding their attention. "Luke, you can't go to the party. Not with Ashton anyway." He scrunched his nose and pouted, making him look five years old.

"But Miiiiichael" he whined, batting his big blue eyes at me. Violet then joined in, twirling her fingers in her hair.

"Michael, stop being a cockblock!" she laughed. I faked shock, then gave them both a serious look.

"Vi, you know what Ashton's like. This is his thing, he draws people in then ditches them once he feels attached to them. I don't want that to happen to Luke."

"For fucks sake Michael, it's just a party!" she snapped. "If it'll make you feel better, why don't we gatecrash? Then you can keep an eye on Lukey boy here!"

Luke's eyes lit up as he smiled eagerly. Who was I to turn him down? He was like an excitable puppy.

"Fine, but you're not leaving my sight!"

Luke and Violet let out a "Yessss" and fist bumped. Oh god, I had a bad feeling about this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke

Oh gosh. What was I doing here? I had been at the party for an hour, and still hadn't managed to find Ashton. Violet and Michael were long gone, I had lost them within minutes of arriving. I reeked of beer and I'm pretty sure the people by me were smoking pot. Holy shit, this felt like a nightmare. Why did I agree to this?

I got up, swaying slightly. I hadn't had that much to drink, but it was enough to make me lightheaded. I needed to pee so badly, but I had no idea where the toilets were here. I aimlessly walked around the corridors, opening doors as I went. I saw a few things I didn't particularly want to see, and one thing I definitely didn't want to see.

Ashton. He was in one of the bedrooms, hungrily kissing a girl. She was straddling his waist, and I watched as she left sloppy, loud kisses on his bare chest. Not being able to bear it any longer, I interrupted.

"What the fuck Ashton?"

He opened his eyes, looking disorientatingly into my direction. "Oh Luke, hey! I was wondering where you were."

"You clearly weren't" I scoffed, annoyed at him for some reason.

"Are you...mad at me?" He asked, getting off the bed and standing in front of me. I could smell the alcohol on his breath, he'd had way too much to drink. I walked out in disgust, and going back downstairs to where the party was. I felt a hand on my shoulder, it was Ashton. He was hastily trying to do his buttons back up.

"Oh my god, you're mad at me! Why?" He demanded, invading my personal space again.

"Well, I thought we were coming together" I said quietly, embarrassed at my naivety. Michael was right, I shouldn't have come tonight.

"Why? We're not a couple! It's not like we're gay, well...you are. It's not my fault you're in love with me." He said, pointing a finger at me drunkenly.

Everyone around us went completely silent. I looked at Ashton in disbelief. I had only told him, Violet and Michael that I was gay, and I had wanted it to stay that was for a while. Now everyone knew. Everyone knew. I couldn't believe that I had trusted him. I thought we were close enough for him to respect my secrets, but I guess Ashton Irwin always came first in his mind. He had done to me exactly what he had done to Michael. His eyes widened in shock as he realised what he had done. I noticed Calum to his side, he was shaking his head at Aston, I don't think he could believe that he had done it again.

Calum walked towards me, placing his hand on the small of my back "Come on Luke, I'll drive you home" he said kindly. I shrugged his hand off my back, and sent Ashton a glare. He was looking at his feet, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. I saw the slut he had been making out with, and flipped her the bird. With that, I stormed out of the house, my blood boiling.

"Oy, you!" A voice came from behind me. I turned, and saw Thomas Young, the captain of the football team stalking towards me.

"This can't be good." I muttered to myself.


	11. I've missed you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, I'be been really busy all day. So. Many. Things. happened today! Luke's (almost) naked picture on twitter, which I almost stopped breathing at! Also, 4, YES, 4 songs were leaked!!!! Today was the day the 5sos fam went crazy basically!!! If anyone's reading this could you please go tweet #MTVHottest 5 Seconds of Summer to vote for them in the MTV Hottest artist category? We're behind 1D and Justin Bieber and I really really want 5sos to do well! Thank you to anyone who's reading and a huuuuuuuuuge thanks to the people who've commented, they make my day!!!  
> Violet is pretty badass in this chapter, I love her! She's literally my babe! I love writing original characters so much!!

Luke

Thomas came nearer and nearer, until his face was almost touching my own. Determined not to look weak, I stared into his eyes, holding his gaze. He came even closer, if that was possible, and there was no space between us. He leant into my ear and said "Is it true, are you a faggot?" loduly, causing me to jump. I flinched, knowing what was going to happen next.

"Is. It. True?" He asked, punching me in my stomach with every word. I whimpered, and curled up into a ball. Suddenly, there were five boys all around me, kicking and punching me, laughing at my bruised body. I heard taunting words fill my ears.

"You're weak, pathetic, gay, you're worthless."

"Homosexuals like you should just die"

"I always knew there was something sick about you"

I felt myself being dragged into a standing position. Thomas was gripping my wrist so tightly that the bracelets covering it broke. He stared at my wrist, littered with red and white lines, his draw dropping. I looked pleadingly into his eyes, but he was merciless.

"Hey, look guys, the fag's an emo." He said, laughing menacingly.

They all started again, hitting me until my vision faded. Everything around me went black, and their beatings didn't hurt anymore.

"This is it" I thought to myself. "It's calmer here, I might be happy"

Luck wasn't on my side tonight, to say the least, as I was dragged out of my dream like state by someone vigurously shaking my shoulders.

"Luke, please" the voice said. "Luke, no, please, no" I could hear panic and desperation in the voice. I opened my eyes, seeing nothing through my left eye, and a flash of purple in the other.

"Oh my god Luke, you're alive!" The person shouted, hugging me tightly. Violet hair smothered my face as Violet held me.

"It hurts" I whispered. Everything fucking hurt. I couldn't fully open my left eye and bruises were already forming on my arms. I dreaded to think of what my stomach would look like. I felt weak. Everything seemed to be getting better but then Ashton ruined it. Oh God, Ashton. He was the reason I was in this fucking mess. How would I face him? I was living with him for Christ's sake!

I cried Violet's arms, whimpering "I want to go home"

"Okay, do you want me to get Ashton?" She asked soothingly. A look of pity crossed her face. God I hated that look.

"No, Vi, I want to go home" I repeated slowly, emphasizing the word home.

She nodded, understanding now. "Okay, let's go" With that, she took my hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Violet

The car journey was quiet. Too quiet. Something seemed to have come over Luke. Shut up Vi, he was just beaten to a god damn pulp. I wanted to kill those jack arses! But something was just, wrong. Luke had lost the glimmer in his eyes, instead of bright blue, every time I looked at him, I was met with a dull grey. He looked empty. I hoped he would be okay.

"Violet" he said quietly "I need to go get my stuff, it's all at Ashton's house"

"Sure thing" I replied, adding "Do you want me to get them for you, you know, in case he's home?"

He looked thankful, nodding his head. "You're the best" he mumbled, before dropping off to sleep. He looked peaceful when he slept. The moonlight managed to outline his features perfectly, enhancing everything about him. I sighed, wondering what hardships he had endured in his life, and how he had gotten through them all.

I pulled up outside Ashton's house, and knocked lightly on the door.

"Ashton if you're fucki...oh, hello" His mother shouted, looking me up and down. "Umm, how may I help you?" She seemed nervous, but then again, most people were when they saw me. I didn't exactly look like Mrs All American.

"Uhh yeah, actually. You see, Luke's going back home and he asked if I could pick up his stuff" She looked worried, thinking that I was up to no good no doubt. Shit Vi, think of another approach. "I...I'm his sister and he's coming to stay with me"

She smiled, widening the door enough for me to enter. "Come on in, his stuff's upstairs"

After grabbing all of Luke's stuff, I drove the short distance back to his house. I shook him gently to awaken him, then marched over to his front door. His mother answered, her hair all over the place and make up smeared all over her face.

"Luke may be coming back to you but believe me, he's crawling back. I don't know what happened but you lay a finger on him and I'll fuck your life up big time" I snarled.

Luke walked into his home sleepily, hugging his mother tightly.

"I've missed you" he admitted quietly.

With that, she kissed his forehead and led him back inside.


	12. I just want to make it up to you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't update yesterday, I was so busy! This chapter has self harm in it so don't read on if you're not comfortable with it. Thank you guys for commenting and reading in general! I really enjoy writing this story, it's kind of my escape from reality!

Luke

*buzz*

Ashton: I'm sorry

*buzz*

Ashton: Luke come back

*buzz*

Ashton: I'm really sorry for what I said, just please, you can't have gone home.

I put my phone in my pocket, ignoring the constant buzzing. Ashton hadn't stopped texting me since the party. Three whole days of constant messages and phone calls, none of which I had returned. I threw on my plaid jacket and a beanie, not bothering to do my hair and walked to the bus stop. It was my first day back in school since the party. The bruises on my face were beginning to fade, but they were there for everyone to see. And boy, did everyone see.

As soon as my foot stepped on the bus, everyone's eyes were on me. It was different to a week ago, when everyone was staring at the mysterious new guy. Now the looks were full of hate, anger, repulsion. I was shocked to see a few with pity and concern in their eyes, but for the most part, the bad outweighed the good. Once again, I wanted to draw the least amount of attention to myself by sitting in the front. With no such luck.

I felt a shadow looming over me and saw a lanky boy with acne covering his face peering down at me. "Congratulations, you're the most hated dweeb in the school" he sneered, his voice high pitched and irritating. I looked away "Oi, look at me when I'm talking to you, faggot" He shouted, grabbing my arm. His grip tightened, and I closed my eyes awaiting the blow. I heard an arm swoosh through the air, and a thumping sound. I didn't feel a blow, and opened my eyes. The lanky boy was lying on the floor, with Calum stood above him.

"Lay your hands on my friend again and I'll break your bones" he growled, dragging the boy up by his collar. He then turned to me, motioning to the seat by me, asking for permission to sit down. I nodded, glad to have his company.

"Listen, Ashton's a jack arse but he's really sorry for what he did. I don't expect you to ever forgive him, but I hope you know that. I also want you to know that I've always got your back. No matter what people say, I'm here for you. I'm not abandoning someone, not again." He muttered the last part, looking to the ground in shame.

The rest of the bus journey was sat in silence, which the both of us were comfortable with. As everyone was getting off the bus, I turned to Calum, looking him dead in the eye and saying "Thank you"

He nodded, understanding that was all I needed to say. All of my emotions, put into two simple words.

As soon as I stepped off the bus, I could feel all eyes on me. I sighed, knowing that today would be a long day. I made my way towards the school, trying to ignore everyone's glances. I held my head high as I was tripped, grabbed, sneered and shouted at by my classmates, trying not to let their actions affect me. I was lying to myself. I could feel every word, every leg extended to trip me, every whisper about me, chip away at my walls. Thankfully, I managed to avoid the one person whom I didn't want to see.

By lunchtime, I had had enough. Everything was too much, everything hurt. I unscrewed the blade from my sharpener, and placed it in the all too familiar place on my wrist. I let out a little relieved breath as I drew blood, knowing that I deserved every stab of pain I felt. For every bad thing that had happened to me that day, I left another mark on my wrist.

It felt beautiful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ashton

"Have you seen Luke today?" I asked Calum at lunchtime, knowing he was on the same bus as him.

Calum shot me a look, one that hurt me deeply. He looked disappointed in me, like he didn't want to be seen talking to me. "Yeah I have, I spoke to him on the bus this morning" he shot back. "Ash, just leave him be for a while, he's hurting right now"

Something about Calum's sentence made me feel unsettled. I knew that I had hurt Luke, but why did I have this nervous feeling in my stomach? An image flashed in the front of my mind, of Luke in the park. There was blood. So much blood. Clearly there was blood on his face from the wound but...his wrists! Luke was hurting. Luke was hurting himself. I felt sick.

"I need to go" I mumbled. Calum shot me a worried look. I was shivering, and I could feel the blood rush out of my face. I ran to the toilets, and was met with two scared blue eyes. He looked like a rabbit caught in a car's headlights. He held a blade to his wrist, blood dripping out of a fresh cut. He fell to the floor, crying. I rushed over to his side, cradling him in my arms.

This time I was never letting go.

I held him until his crying stopped, feeling a strong sense of deja vu. "Why do I always find myself in this position?" I chuckled into his hair, my lips brushing the top of his head. He let out a breathy laugh, and I knew he would be fine for now.

"Let's get you cleaned up, yeah?" I said, picking him up off the ground. I grabbed a handful of toilet roll, dabbing it on his cuts. I attempted to bandage them, not entirely sure of what I was doing. I'd never been in this position before.

He looked at me, smiling faintly saying "I'll do it" I stepped back, keeping my hand on the small of his back as he grabbed more paper, bandaging his wrists tightly. He blushed under my gaze, clearly embarrassed with the situation.

Once he was done, I studied him. There were bruises on his face, the mark of a severe beating. I knew I was the cause of them, and quickly looked away. I then looked at the rest of him, his tall torso, his slim arms, long sleeves now covering the marks on his wrists, his long legs, enhanced by skinny jeans. He stood awkwardly, one foot placed over the other. This told me that he was uncomfortable. I looked back up to his face, feeling his eyes back on me. I attempted to smile, but felt a teardrop run down my face. Luke held up a hand to brush it away, but I flinched away from his touch.

I immediately regretted it once I saw the look on his face "No, Luke, no, it's not you, it's, it's, it's me. I'm a mess. I feel awful for what I did to you. I don't want your pity, your kind actions, I don't deserve any of them. I'm the reason that you've got these" I carefully brushed the bruises on his face "and these" I pointed to his wrists "I never wanted to hurt you, and that's all I've done. I don't deserve you."

Tears by now were running freely down my face, and I was breathing heavily. Luke watched me silently until I had calmed down, then turned to the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked

"Umm, to get lunch, I'm starving" he mumbled back.

"No, you're not" I said loudly as he reached for the door handle.

"Excuse me?"

"You're not getting lunch on your own, you're eating with me" I saw his hesitant face before adding "and Calum"

He visibly relaxed, shrugged and said "Fine, but only if Michael and Violet are there"

I inwardly groaned. I was already risking my reputation by asking Luke to sit with me. I didn't mind that so much because I desperately needed to make it up to Luke. But, Michael? As much as I wanted to make everything right between us, I didn't want to be seen with him. I would be ridiculed by the rest of the football team, my reputation around the school ruined.

Seeing Luke roll his eyes in disgust and march towards the door, I panicked. "Okay. They can come. I just want to make it up to you"

I could practically feel him smiling.


	13. Because babes love it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading and leaving kudos! Also, thank you to everyone who's commented, it means so much! This chapter was pretty fun to write so I hope you guys enjoy it! I tried making it a little humorous but I don't know, I'm not a very funny person so yeah, enjoy!

Michael

I walked into the canteen with Violet, heading towards our usual table. Luke wasn't there yet, which I found strange because Luke was always the first person to arrive at lunch. I shrugged, and sat down. Violet started talking about something, but I couldn't listen, I was too busy scanning the room for Luke. I began to worry, knowing he had been beaten up badly after the party, and knowing what had caused it.

Ashton walked in. The jackarse. I felt my blood boil, and I clenched my fingers into a fist. My fingernails were digging into the palm of my hands, but I didn't care. The only thing I cared about was letting Ashton know how much of a dick he was. Suddenly, Luke appeared at his side, dragging him by the elbow. I raised my eyebrows in shock.

Violet's eyes followed my own as she mouthed "Oh my god!" Luke was walking towards us, smiling sheepishly, tugging a reluctant Ashton with him. My fists clenched even more at the sight of him, turning my knuckles white. Ashton noticed my glare, and gulped.

He turned to Luke, saying "I don't think this is a good idea" hesitantly.

Luke shot him a look, replying "Then we're done"

Ashton sighed and sat down next to Luke. He was opposite Violet, as far away as he could get from me. I caught his eye, gave him my best death stare, and turned to Luke.

"What's he doing here?" I asked accusingly, putting great emphasis on the he. I hated him, Luke knew that. I thought Luke would understand after what happened to him. Why didn't Luke understand?

"Ashton's changing." Was all he said.

I raised my eyebrows sarcastically, showing that I didn't believe a word of it. Interestingly, I caught the look Ashton gave Luke. He looked shocked, as if he couldn't believe that Luke had such faith in him. He blushed slightly, and looked down at the table. I could feel the happiness radiating off him from where I was sitting. Maybe he could change, who knew.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ashton

"Ashton's changing" Luke simply said to Michael.

What? Did Luke really just say that? Does he have that much belief in me? Why was he defending me? He knew the horrible things I had done. I noticed my face had dropped, my mouth agape, staring at Luke. I blushed, and looked down. He believed in me. For the first time ever, someone saw something in me. Before I could stop myself and chicken out, I reached for his hand under the table. Much to my surprise, instead of flinching away, Luke took my hand in his. He gave it a slight squeeze, telling me that it was okay, and grinned a little.

"Ash, what are you doing sat over here?" Calum said from behind me. I shrugged and he seemed satisfied with the response, sitting down next to Luke, opposite Michael.

"Hey Luke, hey Mich...is that Spiderman?" he asked eagerly. I rolled my eyes, for someone cool, Calum was such a dork.

"Umm, yeah, it's the new edition. You know comic books?" Michael asked inquisitively.

Calum's mouth dropped "Hell yeah I do, I fucking love them. My room is full of them! I should show you them sometime..." he trailed off. I mentally face palmed for him, he was embarrassing himself. 

"I, I mean, if you wanted to, you could come over and see them! I've got loads!" He redeemed himself, blushing at his social skills.

Michael just beamed back at him "Yeah, that'd be cool" he said quietly. In that moment, I knew everything would be okay.

For the rest of lunch, Michael and Calum bonded over their love of comic books, arguing over which was better, Marvel or DC. Luke chimed in randomly, stating that Marvel would forever be the best because they had Captain America, who was "the most bad ass of them all" as he said. This aggravated Michael, his favourite superhero was Spiderman, he had the best powers after all.

"If I were a superhero, my power would be to make everybody happy" Calum stated. "And I would wear green and yellow"

"Why on earth would you wear green and yellow?" Michael shouted back, sounding disgusted. "Everybody knows superheroes wear black and red, ooh and capes!"

Calum laughed "Green and yellow, because babes love it"

They argued over superhero names, saying that I would be SMASH, an incredibly toned superhero who thought too highly of himself. Michael chose the personality traits in case you were wondering. Luke would be Dr Fluke, and would be completely clueless to everything going on around him. Of course, he would have epic legs. Calum would be called Cal Pal, dressed in green and yellow in a "tight and bright" costume. Michael would be Mike-Ro-Wave, and his life motto would be YOLO. Violet, it was decided, would be the girl we were all trying to save. We all had fun choosing our costumes, names, and story lines. It was weird but I guess we're all dorks deep down. For the first time, I was enjoying myself.

Lunchtime was made better by the fact that Luke never let go of my hand.


	14. That's exactly what I want

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS...114 KUDOS AND 2000+ READS?!?!?! I CAN'T THANK ANYONE READING THIS ENOUGH! I hope you enjoy this next chapter ;) This was fun to write! Is it me or is it getting hot in here? Please comment on this chapter? I want to know what everyone thinks of it, this one's my favourite by far!

Ashton

I liked Luke. It hit me like a truck. I was driving to his house, picking him up to go to school. I pulled over for a few minutes, contemplating my epiphany. I liked Luke. I smiled to myself, realizing that I had known it all along, it had just taken me a few weeks to acknowledge it.

*buzz*

Luke: Umm, hey. Are you still picking me up?

Ashton: Yeah babe, why?

Luke: Babe?! You're late!

Shit, shit, shitfuck shit! I was so caught up in my thoughts, I had forgotten we actually had to be somewhere. Wait, did I call Luke babe? Oh god, what was happening to me?

I pulled up at Luke's house, apologizing profusely for my incompetence. He laughed, an adorable sound that made my heart melt. That sound always filled me with joy, but everything was heightened now.

"Ash...are you okay?" Luke questioned. I snapped out of my daze, realizing I had been staring at him. I felt my cheeks redden instantly and he laughed again. I could listen to that laugh all day.

We got to school ten minutes late, earning detention for it...again.

Luke turned to me, smirking. "How do we always end up here?" he asked cheekily. With that, he walked to his first class, saying he'd see me after school for detention.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke

School dragged. I was enjoying it more now than I did in my first week, but it still dragged. Strangely, I found myself looking forward to detention. It must be something to do with that curly haired, hazel eyed God I had somehow befriended.

At random points in the day, it would hit me how lucky I was to have Ashton. Of course, at every moment of every day, I harbored deep feelings for him, but he couldn't possibly share those thoughts for me so I always buried them. It was a miracle that I was friends with Ashton, so it would be selfish to ask for anything more.

Last bell rung, and I jumped out of my seat.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" Violet asked me, a smile playing on her lips.

I looked to the floor, knowing where she was going with this, "I have detention" I mumbled

She wiggled her eyebrows, "With....?" she asked teasingly.

"Ashton" I finished.

She squealed, grabbing my hands and jumping up and down excitedly. "I knew it, I knew it! You like him, oh my gosh, you HAVE to ask him out!"

My eyes widened "Vi, I can't ask him out, he doesn't even know if he's gay, you know, because of his dad..." I trailed off.

She rolled her eyes "That boy is completely and utterly 100% in love with you. It's blatantly obvious. The only people who haven't noticed it yet are you two!" She raised a finger at me as I tried to interject "Agony Aunt Violet is talking. Think about it, he always checks if you're okay, he tenses whenever girls approach you, he praises you for staying clean this long, and don't get me started on the 'secret hand holding'" She made commas in the air at that last part.

I blushed furiously, managing to splutter out "You...you...saw that?"

She laughed winked and turned to the door before turning around and saying "You'd best be off, lover boy is waiting"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ashton

I walked into the empty classroom, Mr Thomas was always late for after school detention. Even when he was here, he'd spend the whole hour outside smoking. Luke wasn't there either, so I took a seat at the back and plugged in my iPod and rested my head on the desk.

Moments later, my headphones were ripped out of my ear-buds, causing me to yelp. Stood in front of me was Luke, with a mischevious smirk on his face. He sat down next to me, smiling from ear to ear.

"Somebody's in a good mood" I smiled back. I couldn't help myself, his smile was so contagious.

"Glad to be spending time with my best friend" he said.

My heart broke into a thousand pieces. A part of me wanted to say it was because I knew how much I meant to Luke, he had called me his best friend for Christ's sake! I knew how much that meant to someone like Luke, someone who had avoided having friends his whole life because he never felt good enough. But I knew I was lying to myself, my heart broke because I was his best friend. I had been friend-zoned, I would never be anything more to Luke.

I wallowed in self pity for a while, causing the mood to change from light and playful to moody and somber. Luke picked up on it, and tried to cheer me up however he could. He tickled my sides, told jokes, even pretended to be a mime. Nothing worked, I was miserable.

Luke bit his lip, causing something to stir inside me. Holy shit that was attractive. Before I could stop myself, I was leaning in.

As I realised what I was doing, I stopped, millimeters away from Luke's face. He opened his big blue eyes, and I could feel him mentally undressing me. He bit his lip again in insecurity and that did it.

I dove in, connecting our lips harshly. As our mouths moved in perfect unison, I felt every nerve on my body become more aware. The electricity I had felt that one time my hand brushed his hip was back, but a thousand times stronger this time.

Luke bit down on my lip, causing me to moan. As I did so, I opened my mouth ever so slightly. Jumping on the chance, Luke slid his tongue into my mouth. I could feel my pants tightening, and I knew I had a boner. I ran my fingers through his luscious hair, and laid the other hand on his chest, feeling every muscle beneath my touch.

Luke pulled away, his lips slightly swollen from the kiss. His face was flushed and his eyes were glowing. As I stared at his beauty, he attached our lips one last time.

This kiss was slow, and even though it was less lustful, it was a whole lot more passionate.

I heard Luke moan, and looked down to see he was as hard as I was. I panicked, thinking for the first time about what we were doing.

"Luke...Luke. What are we doing?" I asked breathily.

I saw his hurt face and corrected myself "No, I loved...I loved the kiss" I sighed, sounding like a love sick schoolgirl "But I don't want to move too fast. What exactly are we?" I questioned, self doubt creeping in.

"We can be whatever you want us to be" Luke said, cupping my face in his hands. My heart fluttered, God I loved him.

I pecked his lips quickly.

"I want us to be more" I said quietly.

Luke looked taken aback, "Are you saying you want us to be...boyfriends?" He quizzed.

I looked into his adoring eyes, saying with complete confidence "That's exactly what I want"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That night, I moaned Luke's name in pure joy for the first time. Unknowingly to me, he was doing the exact same thing.


	15. That was for changing Ashton

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's short, it's kind of a filler chapter. The next one will be better, and more dramatic! I have big things in store!

Luke

I was walking home from Ashton's house, it was a nice day and I needed the fresh air to clear my head after the intense make out session with Ashton. It was a week since we had started whatever it was we had started and I couldn't be happier. I smiled, tracing my fingers over my lips. I had kissed Ashton Irwin. I, Luke Hemmings, had kissed Ashton Irwin. It was almost unbelievable, these things never happened to someone like me. Ashton Irwin liked me! Me? I shook my head slightly, smiling to myself.

The week had been blissful, we cuddled, watched movies, made out, we just enjoyed each other's company. I felt happy. Ashton had awoken something in me that I didn't know was still there, hope. Hope for a better future, hope that I could move on from my past, hope that I could finally be content with my life. Ashton made me feel complete. As cheesy as it sounded, I didn't know what I would do without him.

I turned a corner, greeted by a fist flying into my face. I groaned as I found myself lying on the floor. Stood above me was Thomas Young. This position felt familiar. I braced myself as I felt a kick to my ribs. Then to my face. Then to my stomach. With every kick he was shouting at me.

"What"

*kick*

"Have"

*kick*

"You"

*kick*

"Done"

*kick*

"To"

*kick*

"Ashton?"

I cried in pain as he kicked me again and again until I managed to splutter.

"Nothing, I haven't done anything to Ashton"

Thomas grabbed me by my collar, dragging me to my feet. He looked me square in the eye, shook his head and hit me in the face. My head whipped to the side, and he took advantage of this by hitting it the other way.

"You're lying!"

*punch*

"Ashton's changed, he's unfocused"

*punch*

"He's late for practice"

*punch*

"He's always turning up with a silly smile on his face and hickeys on his neck, and you've got something to do with it"

He punched me to the floor again, kicking me one last time as he left.

"That...that was for changing Ashton" he whispered into my ear.

I lay on the floor in the fetal position for a while, tears running freely down my face. I ignored my phone, knowing that it would be Ashton or my mother. I couldn't deal with them right now. I only knew one thing, I had to stop this thing with Ashton before it got even more serious. I couldn't keep getting hurt like this, I couldn't risk him getting hurt. I knew it was for the best, so why did I feel so sad?

I slowly picked myself up from the floor, limping the rest of the way home.


	16. Of course I will, Ashton Irwin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't updated in a while, this one's gonna be a double update to make up for it! Thank you guys for commenting and reading and stuff, it really means a lot!

Luke

I limped home, practically dragging myself the whole way. I looked like shit. Hell, I felt like shit. Everything was going wrong for me and I didn't know what to do. I just wanted to get home and feel the relief of the cold blade on my wrists. I had promised Ashton that I wouldn't do it again but after what I was about to do, it wouldn't matter.

I dialed his familiar number, waiting for him to pick up. I got nothing, only the sound of his answering machine.

"Hey, this is Ash. I can't pick up the phone right now so just leave a message and I'll get back to you"

I was already crying. Why was I crying? That's all I did nowadays. God, I'm pathetic.

"Hey Ash. It's Luke. Umm..." I paused, having to force the words to leave my mouth "It's over. I can't do this anymore" I paused for a minute, crying down the phone. I muttered "I'm so sorry" before hanging up and running home.

I got home and ran up to my bedroom. I fell on the bed, crying loudly. Tears were running so quickly down my face and were staining the pillow. I couldn't hold it in any longer, all the pain I was feeling was finally being let out and it felt so good. I knew something that would feel better though.

The bathroom door was open, and i could see my razor, resting atop the washbasin. My wrists began to itch. I slowly got up, headed for the bathroom before my mother came through the door. She saw my face, and the way I was holding my arm in pain, and rushed over to me.

"Luke, oh Lukey. What happened?"

I fell into her embrace, crying on her shoulders. I needed to tell her. I needed to tell someone.

"Some guys beat me up because..." I couldn't get the words out of my mouth, they were on the tip of my tongue, refusing to be spoken.

"Because...I'm gay" I looked to the ground in shame.

There were a few minutes of silence before I could bring myself to make eye contact with my mother. She looked at me, her eyes clouded with emotions.

"Get. Out." she spat at me.

I blinked at her, wide eyed in shock.

"You heard me, get out. I want you gone" she said, before slamming the door behind her.

I fell back on my bed, the tears falling in heavy waterfalls.

Where would I go?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ashton

Finally, I was home from football practice. This one was longer than the others because Thomas and a few of the other guys were late. As a punishment, the whole team had to stay behind an extra half hour. looked at my phone, seeing that I had a missed call from Luke. Seeing his name on my phone always made me smile, and I felt my cheeks flush. He had left a message. I pressed my phone to my ear, making a cup of tea at the same time.

"Hey Ash, it's Luke. Ummm" I smiled at his awkwardness, he was so socially clueless it was cute "It's over, I can't do this anymore" I dropped my mug in shock. What? Why would he do this? Things were going so well. I thought he was happy. We were happy. I heard him crying on the other side, and a soft "I'm so sorry." before the phone went dead.

I fell to the floor, unable to cry, unable to contemplate what had just happened. What had I done wrong? What if he'd found someone better? I missed him already. That scared me, I'd only known him for a few weeks and I already couldn't imagine life without him. I drew my knees up to my chest, and wept quietly into them.

The doorbell rang and I slowly raised myself to my feet. I didn't know how long I had been sat on the floor, but I hadn't moved since hearing Luke's message. I had played it over and over, wishing it wasn't real, hoping that it was all some twisted dream.

I opened the door and gasped. Luke was standing in front of me, tears cascading down his face. I reached out and pulled him into a long hug.

We were both crying on each other's shoulders, our t shirts soaked through.

"She kicked me out" he mumbled into my neck.

I drew my face away from his. "What?" I asked, not understanding exactly what was going on.

"She kicked me out because I told her about..." he stopped. I noticed for the first time fresh bruises on his face, and he wasn't standing properly on one of his ankles. He looked like he had been in a fight again.

"I told her about Thomas beating me up because I'm gay Ashton" he said quickly, as if he was hoping I wouldn't hear it.

Thomas beat him up? Again? I was going to kill him! That's why he was late. I saw red as rage ran through my veins. Wait, Luke had been kicked out of his house? Where was he going to stay?

"You're staying with me" I said, pulling him into another long embrace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke

I was lying on Ashton's bed, trying to distract myself from the itching sensation on my wrists. It had only intensified since my mother kicked me out, and it was all I could think about. I had brought my razor with me, it was the first thing I had thought to pack.

I ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. Before I could stop myself, I had blindly shoved the razor onto my wrist. I looked down, there were randomly scattered cuts, some deeper than others, some stung but the pain reminded me that I could feel. I fell down the wall, watching the blood drip out of my wrists.

"Luke, are you in here?" I heard Ashton's voice from outside the room. Before I could cover myself up, he walked into the room. His eyes widened.

"Oh Luke" he sighed, before sitting next to me and hugging me tightly. "I'll protect you" he whispered, rocking me back and forth.

"I love you" I said.

He froze, and I instantly regretted my words. I broke free of his embrace, scrambling to my feet.

"I didn't mean it. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Why do I have to ruin everything?" I said frantically.

Ashton grabbed me by my hand, turning me to face him once more. He brushed my face with his fingers, before looking deep into my eyes and saying "I love you too"

We both smiled at each other for a while, slowly taking in what had happened.

Ashton blushed slightly, his grin widening.

"What?" I asked suspiciously, raising my eyebrow.

"Luke Hemmings, will you go on a date with me?" he asked.

I beamed back at him "Of course I will, Ashton Irwin"


	17. Forever and Always

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: SMUT AHEAD! I'm so sorry if I suck at writing smut, this is my first time doing it. Idk, it was weird writing it! Sorry if it's awful! There are some cute, fluffy moments though. Comment below if it didn't suck :L Holy shit I'm having second doubts about posting this! Please please comment?!?!

Ashton

I was nervous. There was no denying it. My hands were sweating, and I was shaking slightly. Today was the day of my first date with Luke. I had something special lined up, and I knew he would love it, but I was nervous nevertheless. Was I being paranoid? Probably, but I wanted everything to be perfect. Everything had to be perfect.

I was driving back to my house, where I knew Luke wouldn't be. I had asked Michael and Calum to take him out for a while. I started preparing, knowing that it would take a while to get everything ready. Luke deserved the very best, and that was what he would get.

A few hours had passed, and I heard Calum's car pull up into the driveway. I hid behind the counter in the kitchen so that I was able to see Luke, but he couldn't see me. I heard him gasp as he took in the sight in front of him. He was holding the card I had put on the door, which meant everything was going to plan. There were flowers all over the house, red roses, pink chrysanthemums, white gerbera's and violets creating a picturesque effect.

The card read "follow the rose petals" and that's what he did, following the trail that led upstairs into my bedroom. There lay a white shirt and black trousers, with a note above them saying "wear me" I heard Luke chuckle from downstairs, and I smiled. This was going to be great, I could tell.

Luke came back downstairs, grinning like an idiot. I was stood at the bottom of the stairs. His pace quickened as he saw me, and he jumped into my arms, drawing me into a long kiss. He had his hand on the back of my neck, playing with my hair. I placed my hands on his chest, gripping his shirt slightly. His tongue slipped into mine, and we both smiled into the kiss. It was heavenly. I broke the kiss off, breathless. He whined slightly at the loss of contact but I bopped his nose.

"We have somewhere to be" I smiled.

He grabbed my hand and winked at me "Lead the way"

We walked over to my car, before Luke reached for the door. I slapped his hand away, then opened the door for him, motioning for him to climb in the car.

"You're such a dork" Luke laughed at me.

As he climbed into the car, I slapped his butt, causing him to jump and squeal. I smiled, before rolling over the bonnet of the car like they do in action movies. As I climbed into the driver's seat, Luke leaned over and whispered seductively in my ear.

"That was very James Bond of you." I blushed. "You look hot" Luke continued.

I quickly snapped my head to face him, and kissed him furiously. I bit on his bottom lip, practically climbing on top of him. He parted his lips, granting entrance for my tongue. It felt so natural, like we had been doing it all our lives. Kissing Luke felt like heaven, like all was right in the world. I pulled away once again, taking in his appearance. His cheeks were flushed, his hair was scruffed slightly and his lips were swollen from the kiss. I pecked his lips one last time before climbing back into my seat, and driving away.

Luke had fallen asleep on the way and I gently shook him awake. I watched him as he opened his eyes, taking in the scene in front of him. We were at my aunt's log cabin in the woods, and I had decorated the trees with paper lanterns. In front of the cabin, I had set up a picnic and a fire was steadily crackling. I smiled shyly at him.

"Do you like it?" I asked.

He turned to me, tears forming in his eyes. As they fell I reached over and brushed them away.

"I love it" he whispered. "I love you" he said then.

"I love you too" I smiled.

The date was perfect, we ate under the stars, we talked, we kissed, we fell in love. It was perfect.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke

We were lying down on the ground, looking up at the stars when I grabbed Ashton's hand. I felt confident. For the first time in my life, I was going to do something I had been scared to do. I was going to go swimming in the deep end, take a plunge. Ashton gave me a confused look as I led him into the cabin. We walked in, and Ashton closed the door behind him.

As soon as he did so, I connected our lips. I was hungrily kissing him now, unlike all the other times we had kissed, this one was full of lust. I wanted Ashton, every inch of him.

I walked him slowly back to the bed, taking my shirt off in the process. I pushed him gently onto it, then straddled him, not breaking the kiss once. I could feel my pants tightening already. Ashton growled beneath me.

"Did you just growl?" I laughed into his neck, leaving sloppy kisses on his chest. I hadn't even realised he had taken his shirt off, but I wasn't complaining. I found his sweet spot, and sucked hard on it, leaving a mark.

"Yes, oh SHIT Luke" he shouted. He was wriggling under my touch, and I could feel his hard on through his trousers. I crouched on top of him, grinding our hips together, making Ashton moan and omit incomprehensible noises.

"Fuck Luke, I'm close already" he mumbled into my ear.

I helped him out of his trousers, and then his boxers. He was there, lying on the bed, completely naked.

"You're beautiful" I whispered as I kissed down from his neck, to his chest, then to his 'v' lines, before taking his penis in my mouth. Ashton gasped, and the sound made me even harder, if that was possible. I bobbed my head up and down, causing Ashton to groan louder and louder until he screamed.

"Luke, I'm, I'm" I pulled my mouth away, and replaced it with my hand, pumping him quickly. He came a few seconds later. I smiled at the hot, sweaty mess underneath me, before kissing him passionately.

Ashton looked up at me, then noticed I was still partially clothed. He smirked.

"What?" I asked.

"It's my turn to return the favour" he said mischievously.

Before I had time to reply, my trousers and boxers had been taken off in a single swoop, leaving me lying naked on the bed. Ashton was lying on top of me now.

"Hi" he whispered down at me.

I blushed "hi" I said back.

I gasped as he took me in his mouth. He was gentle at first, but as the both of us got more and more excited, his movements became rougher. It felt like we weren't meant to do anything else, like Ashton and I were made to do this. For the first time in my life, I was completely and utterly, undeniably happy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ashton

We were lying under the covers, cuddling again. I leaned over and whispered into Luke's ear.

"I'm in love with you"

I felt his smile from where I was lying.

"I'm in love with you too. Forever and always" he replied.


	18. Hi we are Five Seconds of Summer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken me so long to update, I've been so busy! My sister had her birthday, then I went on a family holiday, then I went to this Welsh music festival. It's been a hectic few weeks! But here's the update! I hope you guys like it :) Thank you guys for reading, bookmarking (idk if that's a word), liking it and commenting, it means the world!

Luke

Ashton and I had been dating steadily for about a month now. It was perfect. Of course we fought, but we would always end up in each other's arms, apologizing and exchanging kisses. We were a perfect match, and I couldn't imagine life without him. We balanced each other out perfectly, my shy and inward character was evened out by his bubbly, outgoing personality. My passion for music outweighed his love of sports. We were in love with every aspect of one another.

It was hard coming out as a couple at school, and of course people didn't take too well to it at first. The first week was the hardest, then after that people found something else to gossip about. In general, people were pretty accepting of us. It was nice to be able to walk down the corridors holding hands with the person I loved.

"Luke" a voice interrupted my trail of thought. I looked up to see Mr Phillips stood above me. "Is your group ready to perform your song?" he asked.

Oh shit, yeah, the project! I saw Calum and Ashton walk through the door of the music classroom.

"Yeah I think so" I said.

The three of us walked to the front of the classroom, my knees shaking slightly. I felt like I was about to puke, I was so nervous. We took our spaces, Ashton to my right on the cajon, Calum on my left with his bass, and me stood in the middle. I rubbed the sweat off my hands onto my trousers. Ashton picked up on my nervousness and reached his hand out to grab mine.

"You'll be great, babe." he said quietly, so that only I could hear.

I nodded once at him, sucking in a big amount of air.

Then we started.

I started singing quietly,

"Hello there, the angel from my nightmare"

then encouraged by Ashton and Calum, picked my voice up a bit

"the shadow in the background of the morgue"

By the chorus, I was singing as loud as my lungs could possibly take. I was almost crying, the emotion of the song getting to me. Ashton was banging the cajon as hard as he could, displaying the same emotion as I was. Calum was rocking the bass, strumming along in perfect sync to the rest of us.

With a final "I miss you, I miss you" the song was over. I looked up nervously, expecting to see a class full of bored teenagers. Instead, I was met with a loud applause, and even a few cheers. I blushed at the attention, not knowing what to do. 

Ashton jumped up, hugging me tightly. He pressed a firm kiss on my lips, whispering against them "I'm so proud of you"

We took our seats at the back of the class, being congratulated by everyone as we went.

As class ended, I was about to leave the classroom when Mr Phillips called me back.

"Luke, you were amazing" he exclaimed at me "The three of you could definitely do this for a living. There's this gig in The Annandale next month and they're looking for a young, new band to play. Would you want to play? You'd probably need another member, but I could put your names forward if you want?"

I was taken aback, I guess we were good, but playing a gig? That was incredible! I nodded eagerly, thanking Mr Phillips for the opportunity.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Michael

I was sat at the lunch table on my own. Calum and Ashton came over to sit by me, talking excitedly about something.

"Dude it was incredible!"

"And people actually liked us!"

"Luke was amazing, I've never heard him sing like that!"

"And you, you rocked that cojon thing!"

"Cajon, but thank you!"

They sat down, still chattering on about whatever had just happened. From what I could gather, they had performed somewhere and it had gone well. The next thing I knew, Luke came hurtling into the cafeteria, jumping on Ashton's lap, making him shriek in pain.

"Luke, what the fuck?!?" Ashton exclaimed.

Luke just laughed, then turned to me.

"We're starting a band" he said matter of factly.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Basically, Mr Phillips just heard me, Cal, and Ash performing and he said that he's got a gig for us next month but we need another member. You play the guitar, right? And I've heard you sing, you've got a good voice! We're starting a band!" He practically shouted.

I looked from Calum, to Ashton, then back to Luke.

"I guess we're starting a band then" I said.

"Yessss, we need a name!" Luke clapped his hands eagerly.

We nodded in agreement. Violet came over to our table, headbanging along to her ipod. We laughed as she knocked into a scared looking girl. Violet glared at her. Suddenly it started raining really heavily outside.

"Fucking hell, we've literally had five seconds of summer" Violet said angrily.

"Violet, you are a genius, I love you!" Luke replied in awe.

We all stared at him, confused as to what on Earth the quiffed blonde was talking about now.

"Hi, we are Five Seconds Of Summer" Luke said proudly.


End file.
